Image: Pro-Life flags at Supreme Court building in Ottawa. (Pixabay.com)

By Connor Gunn

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: And just like that, the abortion debate comes roaring back

May 7, 2022 | 6:37 AM

WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT abortion would become an issue again?

For 35 years or so we thought it was settled but it never really went away. A pending U.S. Supreme Court decision against Roe v. Wade has us talking about it again. It brings back memories of when Royal Inland Hospital was run by a board of directors.

As each annual general meeting approached along with the election of directors, pro-lifers and prochoicers would square off. The issue: should abortions be allowed at the hospital?

Oh, the headlines and rallies. Pro-Lifers planted fake tombstones in front of RIH to represent abortions and marched with placards. But the pro-choice side eventually won the day across the land, and a woman’s right to have an abortion was accepted, at least legally. Every once in a while, the debate would be briefly rekindled.

In 2012, the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada complained that a group it claimed counselled clients against abortion was among the charities supported by the annual Kamloops Daily News Christmas Cheer Fund. The next year, City council got into a controversy for approving the hanging of a pro-life banner over several streets for a couple of weeks.

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Three years ago, almost to the day, I wrote an editorial saying the abortion debate was unlikely to return to Canada despite what was going on south of the border, where a number or states were trying to pass legislation severely limiting abortion.

“Abortion certainly isn’t a non-issue in this country,” I wrote, but added, “In a country that pays for abortions with medicare, it’s hard to imagine going back. But never say never.” Indeed.

The Pro-Life Society has remained active but low-key; the issue has been largely quiet. However, it flared up a couple of years ago when the federal government included an abortion question in an employer application form for a summer jobs program. And it comes up whenever the Conservatives look for a new leader.

Candidates are inevitably questioned about their position on abortion; most of the time, they skirt the issue by saying the debate shouldn’t be re-opened. It’s there, though, even in the current leadership contest — Leslyn Lewis, one of the candidates, makes no bones about her pro-life position.

Justin Trudeau will, no doubt, enthusiastically try to use the abortion issue against a resurging Conservative party, as he’s done in the past. Reaction on this side of the 49th to the U.S. Supreme Court decision (it hasn’t been made official yet) has been, shall we say, spirited.

“Over my dead body!” said Finance Minister Selena Robinson when asked about possible changes to abortion access in B.C. “Absolutely nothing is changing here in B.C. We believe abortion is medical care, good medical care.”

The Liberals, Greens and NDP officially support abortion rights. For the most part, federal Conservatives try not to talk about it. It might come as a surprise to some that there’s no constitutional right to abortion in this country.

There used to be a stigma against abortion — people risked being thrown in jail for it. It was illegal under the Criminal Code. In 1969, in the era of Dr. Henry Morgentaler, then-PM Pierre Trudeau legalized abortion for women whose life was in danger, but only if a panel of doctors approved.

In 1988, the Supreme Court ruled that limiting access to abortion was contrary to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Yet, the right to abortion has never been enshrined in Canadian law. It’s said that abortion isn’t so much legal as just not illegal.

Justin Trudeau promises to fix that. But, every once in awhile, an MP will try a private member’s bill restricting abortion in some way. Only last year, a Conservative MP’s bill aimed at outlawing sex selective abortions was defeated in the House of Commons. Eighty-two members voted for it, 248 against.

There are many nuances to the abortion debate: the sex selective issue, incest, rape. Pro-Life and Pro-Choice have their factions ranging from hardline to soft. Some are adamant about right and wrong, others contend it’s all a matter of opinion and everybody should be able to get along. And is it a debate only for women, or should men be allowed opinions as well?

These days, the issue is as much about ease of access to abortion as it is about abortion itself. (Kamloops has no abortion clinics; the procedure is done by doctors at RIH.) I doubt Canada will follow in the steps of the U.S. in returning to the past but the debate has certainly been reawakened.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.